Introducing cellular, wireless communication networks presented, from the beginning, the problem of finding, during construction and later extension and operation of the networks, configurations which permit optimal utilisation of the available resources of hardware and frequency band width. The goal is, above all, maximisation of the throughput of messages with acceptable network quality and adequate network availability and network coverage, respectively. There, the concrete target quantity may be different. Thus e.g. the jam rate may be minimised, as, for example, explained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,218. WO 98/53621, again, is based on measured pilot reception power values. In order to achieve the goals of network optimisation, different parameters of the network configuration are adjusted, usually locally limited. This may be, for example, the adjustment of the aerial diagram or the pilot power, respectively, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,907, or the receiver sensitivity, as in WO 01/37446 A1.
In cellular phone networks, which, as a rule, only transmit information from stationary transmitting stations to subscribers, who may be mobile, comparable to conventional broadcasting, methods are used which optimise the network configuration mainly with respect to the network coverage, based on the radio wave propagation characteristics in the neighbourhood. In doing so, substantially radio wave propagation simulation and/or measurements of the average reception power as well as of the service quality at certain locations in the network are employed. The basic approach for such methods has been described in Norbert Geng, Werner Wiesbeck, “Planungsmethoden für die Mobilkommunikation”, Springer-Verlag Berlin, 1998, ISBN 3-540-64778-3.
In communication networks such as the GSM-standard which use many frequency bands, the frequency bands are allotted to the individual cells of the network. In doing this, appropriate distribution of the frequency bands on the cells of the network play a decisive roll in frequency minimising and thereby, throughput maximising. Such methods of frequency planning of the network are often summarised under the term “automatic frequency planning” (AFP).
With increasing importance of the various mobile data services and the development towards mobile communication networks of third generation, for example in accordance with the UMTS-standard, which is being developed within the framework of the international “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP), a network planning that meets the demands with regard to the service-specific subscriber traffic becomes more and more important. The various available services have quite different characteristics with regard to their burst behaviour, the line- or packet-switched transmission mode, the data rate, the average transmission power and the symmetry/asymmetry between downlink and uplink. In addition, the partially quite different physical transmission characteristics of the various services have to be taken into account, as, as a rule, different transport channels are used therefor. These specific demands on third generation mobile communication networks are not met by the prior art and conventional methods and devices for the purpose of communication network optimisation.
From the view of the network operator, it appears important that all provided services are available with substantially equivalent subjective quality and equal covering. Therefore, it appears necessary to employ a network optimisation program, which provides the available services in the communication network all over the supply area with adequate quality.
It is the problem of the invention, to optimise the existing network configuration of a communication network quickly, cost-effectively and efficiently, taking into account the heterogeneous demands of different services for telecommunication, such that subsequently an equally good, usually, however, improved network configuration with regard to throughput and network quality is available, while maintaining the existing network coverage. In doing this, any change of cell location is not a proper optimising measure.